Rejected Religion Spotlight Dr. Joel Bordeaux - Batman, Buddhism & Bricolage: Grant Morrison & The Dark Knight

Video uploaded on YouTube on August 18, 2021

Interview Highlights: 
Joel begins by sharing how he came to write about Grant Morrison's Batman RIP, and then we dive into many Buddhist concepts that Morrison uses in their story. As Joel explains these concepts, he also points out how Morrison uses them differently than a Buddhist practicioner would - this due to the great influence of Western occult ideas (such as initiation, the Abyss, and ego-death) taken from Aleister Crowley, among others. Our discussion points out that in fact, Morrison draws on many different sources in the creation of their Batman story, and this leads to some interesting thoughts about the notion of occulture, and creativity. 

You can find the pre-publication draft of Dr. Joel Bordeaux's chapter here: (PDF) “The Dark Knight of the Soul: Death as Initiatory Ordeal in Grant Morrison’s Batman R.I.P.” | Joel Bordeaux - Academia.edu

Full Title: 'The Dark Knight of the Soul: Death as Initiatory Ordeal in Grant Morrison's Batman RIP. From The Assimilation of Yogic Religions Through Pop Culture, edited by Paul Hackett. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2017. 

AND Joel's lecture for the HHP Centre here: Taking the Left Hand Path to Tibet, by Dr. Joel Bordeaux || HHP Student Association - YouTube

Links: Academia.edu page: Joel Bordeaux | International Institute of Asian Studies, Leiden - Academia.edu
IIAS profile page: Joel Bordeaux | IIAS
Humanities Commons profile page: Joel Bordeaux – Humanities Commons (hcommons.org)
YouTube Channel: Joel Bordeaux - YouTube
Twitter: Joel Bordeaux🌹জোয়েল বোর্দো (@JoelBordeaux) / Twitter

OTHER RESOURCES OF INTEREST: 
'The Occult and Comics' by Kennet Granholm: (PDF) The Occult and Comics | Kennet Granholm - Academia.edu
'Occulture is Ordinary' Keynote speech from Christopher Partridge: Christopher Partridge, “Occulture Is Ordinary” | Contemporary Esotericism Research Network (contern.org)

Music: Stephanie Shea